New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-04-18
A NICE FAMILY QUARREL.
CONTROLLER DURHAM IN A PRETTY FIX.
now REFoRMER BLOWS HIS OWN TRUMPET
SPICY AND INTERESTING CORRESPONDENTS.
- my TELEGRAPH TO TIE TRIBUNE

WASHINGTON April 16.--One of the bitterest
official qaarrels in Its way which has ever ~
Washington Ia now in progress. Inc ihuica'ionS
that the President may be called on to end the
He ought to do so because nearly au the paluop"n''
are Democratic ohice-hoders who were apPoih'eu Wy
him The facts some of which are gwen peiow' ioin
a picture which no decent and fair- minueu nah VII
regard with pleasure II statements emahathe rom
the First Controllers Office are true, Domociauc us
tr,ct ATTORNEYS and marshals who were appointed py
and xv ho enioy the confidence of this reform" Ad
,nin;stradon are no better than swndlers. state
n,ents made by oil the Controllers suDordinatcs
are true their chief is man who having authorized
grave accusation strives to dis0wn the responsibility
for IT, Ii is a fact to which hundreds OF Democratic
ofceholders stand ready to bear witness that Con-
troller Durham Is arbitrary Official who seems 10
regard as unmitigated scoundrels majority OF inc
officers whose accounts sent to his ONCE ior setc
ment.
EN- the Department Of Justice attempt is made to
conceal the belief that OF the controllers decs
IONS ara in fat violation of every principle OF comfy
which should govern official intercourse between
different officers of the Government From Tie iacts
below gwen it will appear that the last charge AZ ieas'
!. true: that the Controller has Systematically pro-
cured or allowed to be procured the publication OF
exparte statements rejecting upon the integrity OF
pablo officers, while at the same time reports e4oher
atne them from cxparte accusations have been WITH
held from the public Moreover TO smlrch oihcers IN
order that the virtue of Controller Durham should
shine all the more respendently reports OF conn.,
Dental nature 20 another eicer OF the Government
and based on statements to which the officials accused
have had no opportunity to reply have been rumpeted
abroad.
Controller Durham's first contributions of this sort
werr furpished to the campaign book OF the Demo.
cratic party last tall Subsequently the reporter OF
1.-The Washington Post" was supplied wlth DATA TOT
an article accusing the observation-disclosures and
marshals of the United States Courts OF Alabama OIL
collision with United States Commissioners IN oraer
To obtain exorbtant and unlawful fees The District
ATTORNEYS aud marshals we've Democrats. many OF the
Commissioners were Republicans. United states
Marshal Keller, of the Northern District oil Alabama
who had experienced considerable difficulty IN having
bs accounts adjusted in the office OF First Controller
Durham conceived the happy idea OF appointing as MS
clerk and deputy MN named Lupton, who ut the
time was clerk in Durham's office and bad charge oil
the Alabama accounts But the United States At
toruey for the Northern and Middle Districts OF Ala
hama is Colonel w. ii. Denson SON niaw OF Senator
Pugh OF that State. benson was one OF the oIncias
accused in the article which appeared In The wash
ington Post" As he heard OF Luptons ap-
pointent he vas furious and in reply to letter rom
1upton dated February 10, 1887, Colonel Denson on
February IL wrote in part as followsi
10th inst has just reached me- Try 10 De ana
gus asd ana d c
sn to o s az s sns matters Wrote
MAS ana Be si seT rs' TeTc
no fact. in his once juthed any such publication
s aS the Of ' my 0e
lying statements were continued 70 be given I TO lne
Department by Garrison which he stated that the aS
Suggested the idea that suits were
more lying suggestion elnanated from the brain
%n sc T SSS report 20 "
December who as you Know Sontro 1 pce to
Of Barber which assertion on the par.
IL e ING Ths repo Ut caused another wit
ana csa%er ,1 Th en1 sps vG a
ana also statement made by the OncIas
First SIC Controller denied Cr these false state
as to who was responsible had charge Of
AZ The a ID dco as FROM O what
iod cOncu ded that you were the author. s,.,s a.
%sn sss ,r9a 10 a sa ySa rye
alihsugG Keller Nigh. aggp s6 yOd vOu
t 9os kp rssO What spd yoa staten 70 me as c
on ns1bsr that he was ,Sr9 to yS as Von saHe
boon citizen OF Alabama Barber has been ~ Ar
IRON 20 state S0 S SRGhSs 60 ,Ss
sists him hat you had with he stas@snt :;
y as an Sss OF ss as
Lupton Immediately replied TO Controller Durham In
closing copy of Densons letter. and on February 2i
Durham replied. in part as follows: r ,o,,.r,o
him What said him that the article which charged
81; 10 soG that there were that
him that there were no fact. ~ t once T o
referred SAID sIr to h Ia sad haa
slSes s never saw the article until was print OK
snea % Mt sh IN :S endTe and the
reporter that there were 200 cases which
On the same day Controller Durham wrote letter to
Distrct-Attorney benson, in which he said
tom MI Lupon nat you are laSGIDS u 5nGss
1ns conduit 0 Of O sda, In
ssss and S To you mat knew
sSs Of the i, article srS ct 'eoa. Its
have s.aI ne sass Of sss s
SATISFIED that was pePqsss Sy s1s9
met ans wan by what
S Sss 81 csnE Sa he
IL true he made The Investigation o. te lie
hand agency in furnishing the same for puoca
Il will be observed in the letter to Lupton the Con-
troler declares that:
had no agency the publication Of the article.
In his letter to benson on the same day. Durham de-
claes LATTER careful investigation, that the artcie
was prepared by person not connected with my bu-
reau" and that Lupton "had nothing TO do with the
matter whatever" Controller Durham seems to have
been afraid benson and anxious to hush the matter
But on the day that Lupton wrote to Durham he
wrote also to j. Altheus johnson, OF the Controllers
office
Mr. johnson CHIEF OF tho Judiciary Division, which
has charge OF accounts Of mar
shals etc. Some persons who have had business with
the Controller have been heard to declare: "Durham
doesn't amount much; johnson runs him. That PROB
ably IA only an i'll the truth OF which Dur
ham would be the last to admit Be that as 1t may,
Chief johnson on February "a wrote to Lupon in part
as follows:
M s coone benson is disposed to throw upon you
Of S Ssia. ALBANIA
FOR certain articles appeared IN newspapers
lat surprised You did believe nothing
more your Official duty in the matter while In tbs office
scapegoat OF you would Do the
height inustca AS you are aware Told yon when put
al ne manner IN which things running there
grown under the fee system which
the giving out Office the facts
Contained in the particular articles TO which
you refer Is concerned do not doubt but Judge
OF that kind not given out
except with personal knowledge and approval Of
course IL reporters dsort matter after they get H. tho
TO regarded as responsible for tat
1t will be observed that Chief Johnsons story does not
agree with Controller DurhamA On receipt OF the
letters Of Durham and johnson, Mr. Lupton forwarded
the eorresponiencet to United States Marshal Keller his